Nepotism objectionable
The news that Gov. Frank Murkowski appointed his daughter, Lisa Murkowski, to finish the last two years of his term as U.S. senator has a name. That name is "nepotism."

Defines nepotism
Nepotism. From The Cambridge International Dictionary of English: A noun. From the Latin root of nepot- or nopos, meaning akin to, grandson or nephew.

Fire destroys Gold Rush Days cookhouse at Dimond Park
A 20-by-40-foot frame structure used as the cookhouse for Gold Rush Days in Dimond Park burned to the ground early this morning.
Firefighters received a call at 4:59 a.m., said Capt. Beth Weldon of Capital City Fire & Rescue. When firefighters arrived, the structure was fully engulfed by flames, which they extinguished from the outside.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, Weldon said. No one was injured in the blaze.

Shoppers line up for sales
Kelli Monts pushed two full shopping carts stacked with wrapping-paper rolls and boxes of Christmas lights through the slushy parking lot at Super Kmart Center on Thursday afternoon.
"Christmas decorations, baking tins, Christmas sweaters." Monts ticked off her purchases as she loaded them in the back of her sport utility vehicle. "You name it, we bought it. We're on our way to Gottschalks to do clothes now," she said.

Pan Am in Juneau, 1963
A Pan American DC-6 is parked on the tarmac at Juneau Airport in September 1963. Pan Am served Juneau from the late 1930s to 1965. The DC-6 ran between Seattle, Annette Island, Juneau, Whitehorse, Fairbanks and back, according to Fred "Bax" Baxter Sr., former mechanic and airport manager for Pan American in Juneau.

Capital city charities end holiday season in the black
Despite a slow beginning, charities in Juneau had a successful holiday season this year thanks to a last-minute surge in donations.
"Our kettles were up just a little bit (compared to last year), and our mail appeal looks like it is going to be up a bit as well," said Salvation Army Maj. Larry Fankhauser. "In that last week people really started coming through.

Master of defense and healing
Song Pak has studied pain from many sides - as a martial arts master, a holistic healer and the victim of blows that brought him close to death.
"A personal experience with healing - that's real knowledge," he said.
Pak, 40, is also a teacher, a video producer and the leader of Juneau's practitioners of Dzogchen, a form of Buddhism. Juneau has been his home since he left Russia in 1995, but he travels internationally to lead seminars and teach martial and healing arts.

This Day in History
In 1954, three Eskimos and 9 dogs were en route from Selawik to Nome with 800 reindeer to establish a new herd.

Nordic skiers take advantage of fresh snow, newly set tracks
Cross-country skiers are enjoying this week's snowfall by trying out trails in the Mendenhall Valley, near Eagle Beach and on the slopes at Eaglecrest Ski Area.
Marc Scholten, a forester with the Juneau Ranger District and an active member of the Juneau Nordic Ski Club, has set tracks for classic and skate skiing at the Dredge Lake area and the Mendenhall Campground.

It's not the change in the calendar that makes us new
I don't make New Year's resolutions. I forget them as soon as the next crisis or trend comes along. I also have trouble connecting newness with New Year's. Maybe it's just too cold or still too dark. Newness seems appropriate on your birthday, but then I don't make resolutions then, either.

Two Sitka boys looking for funds to help pay for kidney transplants
Until last summer, Sitka resident Zachary Swanson, 11, appeared to be a healthy, active, typical boy who enjoyed playing trombone, riding bikes, and playing video games.
But while he was on a family vacation in Seattle, doctors discovered that Zachary, like his 3-year-old brother, Joseph, has chronic renal failure. Doctors recommended life-saving kidney transplants for both boys. The boys' family and other Sitka residents have responded with a campaign to help raise the estimated $150,000 necessary for medical expenses. It's called the Children's Organ Transplant Association for Zachary and Joseph.

Pet of the week
Britton is a young lab mix, black with a bit of white. Although she is naturally active, she has had good training and knows all the basic commands. Lovely little Lyla is playful, thrives on attention and gets along well with other cats.

Jason Bigelow to wed Jennifer Lohmann
Jennifer Elizabeth Lohmann of New Orleans, La., and Jason Michael Bigelow of Juneau will be married in a ceremony planned for Dec. 28, 2002, at 6 p.m., at Rayhne Memorial United Methodist Church, new Orleans, La.

William Stone weds Tia Landlord
Tia Landlord of Wasilla and William Stone of Waycross, Ga., were married in a ceremony July 27, 2002, at Wasilla Lake Church of the Nazarene.

Thank you
...for the donations; ... for the loving care; ...for your help at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

My Turn: New governor, new road ahead? Talk to Haines, Skagway
As expected, new Gov. Frank Murkowski has decided to reopen the Juneau Access environmental impact statement process that was suspended by former Gov. Tony Knowles. Upper Lynn Canal residents should not be surprised by this news. If former Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer had won, she too would have reopened the EIS process - such are the politics of trying to win votes in Juneau and debunking yet another attempt at a capital move statewide.

Kings are queens of their own tourney
The Ketchikan girls basketball team needed a fourth-quarter offensive explosion from Anne Elliott to win its own Lady Kings Invitational tournament last weekend at Ketchikan High School's Clarke Cochrane Gymnasium.

Eight apply for Fairbanks court vacancy
FAIRBANKS - Eight people have applied to fill the state Superior Court seat in Fairbanks being vacated by Judge Mary Greene, who will take a job with the University of Alaska's Office of General Counsel.

Delta Junction looks at forming borough
DELTA JUNCTION - A state commission has some Delta Junction officials scurrying to head off what they think could be another attempt to force them into a borough.
The report by the Local Boundary Commission says the proposed Upper Tanana Borough is one of eight unorganized regions in Alaska that "may have the financial capacity to operate borough governments."